Take Me With You
by Wicked'elphaba-fiyero
Summary: Sebastian has been taking care of Blaine for as long as he could remember. If it was up to him, he would've taken Blaine and left long ago. But it wasn't up to him. It was up to Neil—and if there was one thing Neil would never give up, it was Blaine. After being kidnapped years ago, Blaine can't imagine living any other life. And then he meets Kurt. Klaine, Seblaine friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: A new AU story! This story will follow Blaine and Sebastian, living very different lives than their canon counterparts. Blaine was kidnapped as a child and Sebastian was taken in by the same man. Now, years later, they're still alive and closer than brothers, looking out for each other, knowing there is no way out.)**

* * *

Blaine sat, crouched against the brick wall on the dimly lit street. It was dusk, the sun dipping into the sky behind the tall buildings of New York City. He rubbed his hands together, blowing on them a few times to warm them. He glanced into the dark alley just behind him, wishing Sebastian would hurry it up so they could go. He hated hanging out on this street; it was the way people looked at him when he was here. He was just digging in his pockets for the pack of gum he'd stolen earlier when two very polished brown shoes came to a stop right in front of him. Blaine paused, staring at them. The owner of the shoes leaned down slowly, crouching so that he was almost eye to eye with Blaine.

"Hey there, kid." he said, his voice was welcoming in the most un-welcoming of ways. Blaine turned towards the alley again, but by the sound of it, Sebastian was still busy.

"Hey." he finally said to the waiting man. The man had on a nice suit and tie, but not expensively nice. He smiled at Blaine, his hand coming to rest on his knee.

"You hang out here a lot?" he asked.

Blaine shrugged, wishing he'd go away.

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen." Blaine lied, not really knowing why. The man chuckled.

"You don't have to lie to me, kid." he said knowingly, "I don't care if you're not eighteen yet."

"Listen-" Blaine started, but was cut off as the man was roughly pushed back by someone from behind Blaine. Blaine turned around to see Sebastian standing there, a furious look on his face as the man in the suit toppled over.

"Hey, back off, fucker!" Sebastian snapped, "He's not for sale." He reached down and grabbed Blaine by the arm, jerking him behind him, ignoring Blaine's protests about being manhandled. Sebastian crossed his arms as he faced Mr. Suit, his glare practically searing.

"Listen, I was just talking to the kid." the man said defensively, glaring at Sebastian as he stood up, "Why don't you mind your own business."

"I know what you were fucking doing!" Sebastian yelled, "And now I'm telling you to back the fuck off before I call the goddamn cops." The man hurried back at that, but not before giving Sebastian and Blaine one last hateful look.

"If you're not selling anything I suggest you get the fuck off this street." the man said before quickly turning the corner and disappearing. As soon as he was gone, Sebastian turned on Blaine.

"I told you to come get me if anyone tried anything." he said, knocking Blaine lightly in the shoulder.

"You were busy." Blaine mumbled, folding his arms as he jerked his head indicatively towards the alley, "And he really was just talking to me."

"Blaine, we both know what that _creep_ wanted." Sebastian growled as he turned his attention to the money sticking out of his back pocket. He thumbed through the crumpled bills before looking back up at Blaine, "How much did you make today?" Blaine looked down, a bit embarrassed.

"I uh…" he reached for his own pocket, pulling out a few small bills and coins in a plastic bag, "…I kind of fell asleep earlier at the park. I didn't get a chance to do much begging…and when I was asleep some guy stole what I had made before." Sebastian looked angry at first, before rolling his eyes with a sigh.

"This is why I can't leave you alone. If you slept at the apartment, this wouldn't happen." Sebastian said, though he knew full well why Blaine hadn't slept last night, "You're lucky I made enough money today to cover both your ass and mine." he handed Blaine a portion of his money.

"Thanks." Blaine mumbled, taking the money.

They started walking down the street, quickly leaving behind those who stayed back, in their tight and revealing clothing, bodies lazily leaning against the rundown buildings, the air thick with cigarette smoke.

"Stop walking so slow."

Blaine felt Sebastian take his hand and the older boy began dragging him further away with a steadier stride. Blaine looked back over his shoulder at the street which by now had one of the worst reputations in the city. He didn't go there often, Sebastian usually told him to wait for him in one of the nearby parks until he was finished and could come and get him. One of the older boys leaning against the wall caught Blaine's eye and he winked with a smirk. Blaine turned back to Sebastian.

"Does Neil know that you still do that?" Blaine asked Sebastian as they walked, finally turning a corner that left behind Peony Street. Sebastian shrugged as he tugged Blaine across a street, flipping off a driver who honked at them.

"Neil doesn't give a flying fuck what I do." Sebastian said, "As long as I make money." They had reached a dingy corner grocery by now and Sebastian jogged a few feet to catch the closing door as a customer hurried out. He held it for Blaine as he hurried the other boy inside. The cashier nodded at them as the little bells jingled above their heads as they entered. Blaine smiled at him.

"Hey Thad!" he walked over to the counter as Sebastian murmured something about frozen dinners.

"Hey there, Little Blainers." Thad said, smirking as he reached over the counter to ruffle Blaine's hair, "Busy night?"

"Nah, me and Seb are just picking up dinner." Blaine said, smacking Thad's hands away.

"It better not be from here unless you jerks have real money tonight." Thad said, raising his voice as he looked over at Sebastian who was rifling through one of the freezers, "I'm not taking anymore IOUs!" he called, this time directly at Sebastian, who just waved him off before flipping him the bird as he continued picking out frozen foods.

"Seb has money tonight." Blaine said as Sebastian came towards them, about seven frozen dinners in his arms. Thad raised an eyebrow at Blaine.

"Oh, Seb has money tonight?" he asked, "Wouldn't be from something he did on Peony street, would it?" he made a crude gesture with his hand and Sebastian glared at him, smacking him on the head.

"Shut the fuck up, Thad." Sebastian said, throwing the boxed dinners at him to scan. Thad chuckled as he started scanning their items. Sebastian was just pulling out his pack of smokes when he felt Blaine nudge him slightly. He turned to the younger boy who pointed inconspicuously at one of the candy bars on the counter. Sebastian rolled his eyes, picking up the bar.

"Hey, can he have this?" he asked Thad, showing him the candy bar. Thad waved his hand as he continued scanning items.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, but don't expect free candy every time you come here, kid." he said to Blaine.

"Cool, thanks!" Blaine grinned as Sebastian tossed him the chocolate bar.

"Aren't you guys sick of TV dinners?" Thad asked as he packed up their meals into a plastic bag, giving Sebastian the change.

"Sometimes we get ramen noodles instead." Blaine offered, shrugging.

"Pitiful." Thad shook his head, handing Sebastian the bag. Sebastian took it and strolled out without another word to Thad. The two were supposedly best friends, but sometimes Blaine didn't see how. He thanked Thad again for the candy before jogging after Sebastian.

"Hey, wait up!" he called.

"Why don't you just keep up?" Sebastian barked over his shoulder, though his pace slowed slightly. Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Someone's in a bad mood." he said as Sebastian sent him another glare. He wasn't surprised really, Sebastian was always like this after whatever it was that he did on Peony street. Blaine had never summed up the nerve to ask for details.

"Hey, why don't you eat that candy bar I got you and shut up." Sebastian snapped irritably.

"Actually, Thad gave it to me." Blaine mumbled under his breath, but started unwrapping the chocolate anyway. They walked about half the block in silence until Blaine broke off a piece of chocolate and offered it to Sebastian. Sebastian snatched the chocolate and popped it into his mouth, his face still scrunched into a deep frown.

"Just trying to be nice." Blaine mumbled, crossing his arms after chucking the left over wrapper into a trashcan on the sidewalk. Sebastian dropped the frown and chuckled after studying Blaine's sulking face. He threw his arm around the shorter boy, bringing him close to his side.

"Thanks, Blainers. I know how much you hate sharing." he laughed. A few blocks later and they were walking up the steps to a hideously rundown apartment, squashed in the background of New York's tourist front. Blaine took the grocery bag as Sebastian fished around in his pockets for the key.

Inside, the apartment was small and dingy. It had a combination living, dining and kitchen area, one bedroom (reserved for Neil) and a bathroom. The living room and kitchen were separated only by a sorry excuse for a couch and a line where cracked tile turned to stained carpet. The couch's fabric was worn, stained and torn with the stuffing and springs sticking out. One of the cushions was held together by silver duct tape. The carpet in front was even filthier with five sleeping bags crammed across it. A battered television sat in the deep windowsill across from the couch, the screen flickered and the sound crackled.

The apartment was meant for one person, two at the most, but Neil had anywhere from 3-8 of them living there at a time. Besides, Neil, Blaine and Sebastian, there were currently four other boys living in the apartment, Nick, Jeff, Simon and Dexter. Nick and Jeff were around Blaine's age, 16 or 17, out of the three of them none knew their exact birthdays. Nick and Jeff had been staying with them about eight months now which was pretty long for the boys Neil took in. Simon and Dexter were younger, 14 and 13 and had only been with them about three months.

"Hey, we're back." Sebastian called as he and Blaine came in. The four boys turned around from where they had been sitting watching TV. They nodded in acknowledgment before turning back to whatever they had been watching. Blaine put the grocery bag on the kitchen counter before hopping over to the couch to join the others, burrowing himself between Nick and Jeff. Sebastian set to work microwaving the frozen dinners, wishing he'd gotten ramen noodles instead.

"Um…Sebastian?"

Sebastian looked down, not realizing Simon had been standing there. At least three years older than the others, Sebastian was taller than all of them, Simon especially.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I uh…I…I didn't make what Neil told me to today…a-and the others only made just enough to cover themselves…do you think you could uh…"

"Help me put dinner on the table and I'll sport you the difference." Sebastian said, patting the kid on the head. He breathed a sigh of relief and he nodded eagerly, rushing to the drawer to grab whatever forks and spoons he could find.

"Food's on the table!" Sebastian called, sliding the last frozen dinner tray on the rickety table, which matched the rest of the apartment in 'nearly-broken-but-still-kind-of-usable' style. A few crates were set around the table for chairs. The other boys hopped over the couch, starving as they scrambled to the table. They all ate in silence for a while, the only sound the bad-mannered slurps and smacks as they ate. About five minutes later the door kicked open, Neil walking in.

"Food's in the microwave." Sebastian told him, not bothering to look up from his own meal.

"Yeah, alright." Neil said, he absent mindedly reached for Blaine, his hand tangling in the dark curls. He pressed a kiss to the boy's temple before heading towards the kitchen. Blaine didn't seem to even notice as he continued eating. Nick and Jeff looked slightly uncomfortable, but they had stopped commenting a while ago and they averted their eyes back to their meals.

Neil was the man that had taken them all in. He had taken in Nick and Jeff and then Simon and Dexter, finding them all at some point on the streets of New York City, starving and lonely. Sebastian and Blaine he had picked up a long time ago. Sebastian didn't know much if anything about where Blaine came from, only that he was with Neil when Neil had found him, in Westerville, Ohio when he was 10 and Blaine had been 7.

"You boys meet the day's target?" Neil asked as he came back into the room with his food. The boys quickly began digging in their pockets, throwing whatever they'd earned or stolen on the table. Neil set his food down and gathered the bills first and scooped the coins into a jar. He quickly counted the bills and nodded, "Good job boys." he said, pocketing the money, "Go watch TV or something." by now they'd all finished and they hurried to the kitchen to throw away the trash and get back to the couch, eager to stay out of Neil's way. Sebastian remained behind, staring listlessly at his food, knowing Neil would want to talk to him.

"So what'd you and Blaine do today?" Neil asked, the question standard.

"Went to the park, Blaine sang some songs for money. I pick-pocketed a few people and made up some sob-stories. Then we went to the corner grocery and got dinner." Sebastian said. He didn't dare mention anything about Peony street.

"Is Blaine doing alright, not sick again is he?" Neil asked, his eyes drifting towards the aforementioned boy, who was giggling at some story Nick and Jeff were telling. Blaine had gotten sick about two weeks ago, a really bad cold which had turned to the flu. Neil had cooed over him and kept him in bed, snapping at anyone who tried to get near him. Sebastian had been the only one allowed to help take care of him.

"Blaine's fine, no more coughing or anything." Sebastian said. The older man's eyes continued to linger on Blaine.

"That's good." he said. They were silent again save for the soft hum of the TV and the even softer hum of the boys quietly talking to each other from the couch. Sebastian sometimes thought about leaving. He thought about it less now than he used to, but he still thought about it. He was 19, old enough to make it on his own somehow. He had a small amount of money saved from his Peony street excursions, which he kept hidden from Neil. Living in New York was expensive though, and it was already taking all of their efforts combined to keep the cramped, dingy apartment they had now. Sebastian couldn't imagine ever making enough on his own to survive and he'd rather stay with Neil than hit the streets every night. But that wasn't the only thing keeping him from leaving. Maybe he could survive on the streets and fend for himself, but he could never leave Blaine. He'd been taking care of Blaine for as long as he could remember. He'd be lying if he said his world didn't revolve around the younger boy. If it was up to him, he would've taken Blaine and left long ago. But it wasn't up to him. It was up to Neil—and if there was only one thing in the world that Neil would never give up, it was Blaine.

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**(A/N: Thank you for reading, if you have any questions, feel free to ask)**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N: Hi, thanks for all the support, meaning reviews, favorites, alerts or just reads. The site does say that you can add up to three (or four?) characters now for the summary thing/story info, but I'm not sure if that realy shows up, just know that the characters for this fic are Blaine, Sebastian and Kurt, in case any of them did not show up-not sure if that's even important, but oh well. thank you again for support, I hope you enjoy the chapter!)**

"_No! Stay away! Please!" Blaine was curled into himself, huddled in the corner of a dark room with endless space, a dark figuring slowly creeping towards him, his own voice sounded childishly young to his ears. The warped and twisted fingers of the black figure wrapped around his thin arms as the faceless man pounced on him. Blaine screamed. _

_ "Shh…Blaine, it's alright. It's me, Blaine, I'm here."_

_ Blaine's eyes searched wildly for the soft, comforting voice as the cold hands of the black figure began tying his wrists and covering his mouth. _

_ "Blaine, calm down, pet." the voice cooed again and now Blaine could hear the voice echoing from his left. He snapped his head to the side, desperately seeking out the owner of the voice. He was instantly met with two cool, ice blue eyes._

_ "I'm here now, Blaine." the eyes softened as Blaine felt new, warmer hands replacing the cold ones of the black, faceless figure. _

_ "N-Neil?" Blaine asked as the hand covering his mouth disappeared. The ice blue eyes crinkled at the corners as the man smiled. _

_ "I've got you."_

Blaine's eyes snapped open, his mind clearing instantly of blue eyes, cold hands and darkness. He should have been used to this dream by now, but it never failed to send him spiraling, waking up in a cold sweat, his heart jumping painfully in his chest. Blaine stared at the cracking ceiling above, trying desperately to take in the gasps of breath he was suddenly short of. But as the arms around his waist tightened slightly, Blaine found that the air just wouldn't come to him. He had to get out, he had to find air and space and…Sebastian.

As quietly as he could, Blaine gently moved the arm that had been wrapped around him and crept out of the bed he and Neil had been sharing. Cold air bit his bare chest as he crept on shaky legs towards the door of the bedroom, turning the knob a centimeter at a time.

* * *

Sebastian lay on the broken couch, staring up at the ceiling. The apartment barely ever had any heating, and it was cool summer nights like this that the chill was most noticeable. It was at least midnight by now and the soft, sleeping breaths of the boys around him was not the soothing sound that could usually lull Sebastian to sleep, because tonight Sebastian could only count four boys snuggled in sleeping bags on the floor, the fifth sleeping back left empty.

The other boys didn't understand why sometimes, Blaine slept in Neil's room, or why sometimes Neil took Blaine out for "special" outings, like the museum or zoo, or why sometimes Neil bought Blaine gifts or helped him shower. When Sebastian was younger, he hadn't understood it either. In fact, sometimes he had been jealous of how much special treatment Blaine got. He saw the youngest boys, Simon and Dexter, looking so jealous of Blaine sometimes, jealous of the soft smiles Neil only reserved for Blaine or the warm hugs. But they didn't understand and most of the time, Sebastian didn't even think _Blaine_ understood.

Wrapped in blankets on the couch, Sebastian stayed wide awake, knowing Blaine would need him soon.

His eyes slipped from the cracked ceiling to Blaine's empty sleeping bag, before slowly gazing towards the white door directly opposite him from his sideways position on the couch. Minutes ticked by and as Sebastian continued gazing at the ceiling, he finally felt himself begin to drift to the soft, even breaths around him. But a soft gasp, so soft that only Sebastian's attuned, trained ears could hear, snapped Sebastian awake. He listened as he heard Blaine, struggling for breath as he woke up from another nightmare. He listened as an incredibly quiet, cat-like steps padded towards the door in the apartment's only other room. And as the door clicked open, he heard Blaine as he quietly took one step out.

"Sebastian?" he whispered and Sebastian closed his eyes momentarily, taking a deep breath. He heard Blaine take another step, "A-are you awake?"

"Yeah, of course." Sebastian finally said, counting the soft footsteps until Blaine's face appeared next to his, two hazel eyes flickering in the dull night light from the city outside. Blaine was kneeling in front of the couch, his arms wrapped around himself as soft shivers wracked his body.

"I-" he began, eyes searching Sebastian's for answers Sebastian could never give him, "I—I don't think—I don't think I can b-breathe, Sebastian." he finally said, his arms tightening around himself. Sebastian quickly sat up, pulling Blaine up onto the couch with him, letting Blaine lay down against his chest. He wrapped the smaller boy in one of the blankets, covering his bare torso tightly.

"Shh…Blaine, you can breathe." Sebastian whispered quietly into the dark room, "You can breathe. I'm here, breathing with you. We're both fine and we're both breathing. It was just a dream, just a dream." Blaine's hitched breathing slowly evened out, but the trembling continued and Sebastian tightened his arms around the younger boy. It took longer than it usually did for the trembling to pass.

"Was it the same dream?" Sebastian asked ten minutes later.

"Yeah." Blaine's voice was muffled against his chest, "I don't know why it scares me so much…I mean, Neil always saves me, right before I wake up." Sebastian and Blaine are quiet again; And as Blaine's words play over and over in Sebastian head, he feels the tears stinging at his eyes, because Blaine has _no_ idea. He puts so much trust in Neil, _cares_ about him. Sebastian doesn't know much about how Blaine came to be. Where he was born, where he used to live…how he fell into Neil's hands. But he does know that Blaine's life hadn't started this way, that he'd once been a very different boy, taken from a very different life; from something better—and if Sebastian only knew how, he'd give everything to take him back.

"Speaking of Neil, you should probably go back in there. You don't want him to be mad that you snuck out again." Sebastian said, voice thick as his throat constrained, like his body knew just how much he hated sending Blaine back there. He felt rather than saw Blaine nod his head.

"Thanks for…you know, calming me down." Blaine said quietly as he slowly got up, shivering as he unwrapped himself from the blanket.

"Yeah, don't expect me to be so nice every time." Sebastian said at the last minute as Blaine began walking back towards Neil's room, "I _was _asleep you know." he added, rolling his eyes for good measure. He blearily saw Blaine grin through the darkness. They both knew he was lying—on both accounts.

"Yeah, of course, Seb." Blaine whispered, "Sorry."

Sebastian grumbled in response, making Blaine laugh quietly before slipping back into Neil's room, the door closing behind him with a quiet click that made Sebastian's stomach churn. He sighed deeply as he listened to the telltale sounds of the four even breaths around him and the two in the room opposite him. He slowly pulled out a paper from his pocket, gazing at the picture printed on the paper. The paper had to be at least eight years old, worn thin, nearly falling apart in his hands, but it was all he had of what he didn't know. It gave the type of answer that asked a thousand questions, but it was proof that his life, Blaine's life, all of their lives really, weren't always meant to be like this.

* * *

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Yeah, I slept."

"Hey, don't lie to me Blaine, I can tell you know."

"Sorry, Neil. But I _did_ sleep a little."

"Just a little?"

Simon was quiet as he listened to the soft voices drifting towards him from the kitchen of the apartment. Nick and Jeff were both still asleep, Dexter flipping rapidly through the few television channels the battered TV set managed to receive and Sebastian was taking a shower in the bathroom. Simon quietly peered behind the back of the couch, watching as Neil and Blaine talked, catching the end of Neil's sentence.

"…aren't you sleeping?"

"I—I don't know. Sometimes, I just can't." Blaine's reply seemed even softer than before and Simon had to strain his ears to hear. .

"Why don't you go take a nap, see if you can get more sleep, I'll be there in a minute." That was Neil.

"C-can I sleep in my sleeping bag?" Blaine asked and Simon couldn't place the odd look that flashed through Neil's eyes.

"What's wrong with the bed?"

"N-nothing!" Blaine seemed to notice the same look that Simon had, and he stumbled back instinctively, the small of his back hitting the kitchen counter behind him.

"Jesus Blaine, sometimes you're just so difficult." Neil muttered, "You can't sleep, you get sick, you can't earn the money I ask you to, you get panic attacks, the list goes on."

"I-I'm sorry." Blaine's voice fell quietly as he hung his head.

"Go to my room, take a nap." Neil finally said after a moment, "I'll bring you some NyQuil."

"Can I just watch TV with the others?"

"No," Neil said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

"Ok." Blaine said quietly and Simon quickly turned back around to face the TV as Blaine passed him on his way to Neil's room. A few minutes later, he heard Neil close the refrigerator door, muttering something before heading towards the bedroom. Simon looked over his shoulder, seeing Blaine, sitting rigidly on the edge of the bed, before the door slipped close.

Not a minute later, he heard the shower turn off, Sebastian exited the bathroom soon after, a towel wrapped around his waist. He seemed to survey the room by habit before looking at Simon.

"Where's Blaine?" he asked.

"He and Neil are taking a nap."

"Wake up Nick and Jeff and make some lunch, ok? Get Dexter to help, I think there's frozen pizza in the freezer."

"Sure." Simon said, watching as Sebastian grabbed a bundle of clothes near the bathroom door before slipping inside, glancing shortly at the closed, white door across the living room where Neil and Blaine had disappeared.

* * *

"I want to know what's wrong with Blaine."

Sebastian paused as he was slipping the third quarter into the Laundromat washing machine. Blaine was still asleep when Neil had told Sebastian to go take everyone's laundry out and so Simon had asked to join him.

"What do you mean?"

"Why does he get to sleep in Neil's room sometimes?"

"I don't know." Sebastian muttered, keeping his eyes trained steadily on the now spinning clothes.

"Yes you do." Simon insisted. Sebastian sighed wearily, his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That's just where he sleeps, alright? You sleep on the floor, I sleep on the couch, Blaine sleeps in Neil's room. That's just where he sleeps. Stop asking questions." Sebastian snapped. They were both quiet for a moment, watching the clothes spin and tumble in the machine as they sat in the uncomfortable bright red plastic chairs of the Laundromat.

"Dexter says that he thinks Blaine might be his real son, but I don't think Neil looks old enough. Neil isn't Blaine's father is he?" Simon finally broke the silence, his head filled with burning questions.

"No."

"Well then what is he?"

"What is he to you?"

"That's different. He treats Blaine like he's special. Three weeks ago he bought Blaine brand new clothes. He's never bought any of us clothes!"

"Are you _jealous_?" Sebastian finally turned to look at Simon, his eyes suddenly piercing, his words strangely bitter. Simon jumped slightly at the sudden anger burning in Sebastian's eyes. He stared at Sebastian as the older boy glared right back. A moment later, he looked away, the fire in his eyes fading as he gazed once again at the spinning clothes in the washing machine. Simon watched the blue clock above the machine, tapping his finger for each time he saw the second hand tick. 120 ticks later he asked his next question.

"Is there a reason I shouldn't be?" he cautiously chanced a look up at Sebastian, who's jaw tightened at the question.

"About a thousand."

Sebastian's head suddenly dropped into his hands and before his eyes slipped shut, Simon could see the anguish shining in the green depths. He leaned back in his chair, deciding that he shouldn't ask Sebastian any more questions for the day—just the few seemed to have shaken the older teen enough.

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**(A/N: thanks for reading! I apologize for typos/errors. I think next chapter Kurt will be introduced!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N: Hello! Thank you for all the support this fic has gotten so far. I promised Kurt, but it is very small Kurt. There is also Cooper! This chapter kind of jumps around a lot, but I really couldn't find a better way after reorganizing and everything. So oh well, I hope you enjoy, thanks again for reading)**

* * *

_He was really small for his age. People used to laugh and say if you blinked you'd lose him. Cooper always thought his mom was joking when she said that._

_He looked over at the little kid, his kid brother, crouched in the tall grass that nearly stretched above his shoulders. He was picking dandelions and singing under his breath. The sky was bright blue and even though the sun was shining brightly, Cooper didn't feel hot at all. In fact, he felt perfect. He smiled and began whistling as he grabbed his portable CD player, pressing play as he put on his headphones._

_**The way you wear your hat**_

_**the way you sip your tea**_

_**the memory of all that**_

_**no, no they can't take that away from me**_

_Cooper frowned as Frank Sinatra's voice filled his ears. He must have grabbed one of his dad's CD's by accident, and from the sound of it, it was probably his parent's wedding tape, gross. As he went to change the CD he suddenly felt an intense chill go through him. He jumped, dropping his CD player. The player smashed onto the cement shattering into a million pieces, but the music didn't stop and suddenly black clouds came rolling in, covering the blue sky and the yellow sun. He heard the music from all around him now, blaring from the dark skies and shaking earth._

_**The way your smile just beams…**_

_Cooper shot up from the bench, gazing at the dark storm clouds above him. It was beginning to rain now and deep, angry growls of thunder seemed to shake the ground beneath him._

_**The way you sing off-key…**_

_His eyes suddenly flashed back to the last place he'd seen Blaine. He was still singing quietly to himself, seemingly obliviously to the shattering storm around them._

_"Blaine!" Cooper shouted as he started running towards the little boy. Blaine looked up, his dark curls bouncing slightly around his face. He beamed at Cooper, holding up his flowers._

_"Coop!"_

_Cooper tried to smile back but for some reason, he couldn't. Lightning had begun to strike and splinter all around them and he was beginning to get really scared, an ominous feeling shadowing his every beat._

_**The way you haunt my dreams…**_

_Suddenly Cooper saw it, it seemed they were everywhere, dark shadows flickering just beyond where Blaine stood, growing darker, growing larger as they neared his little brother. Blaine's smile slowly faded as he saw the frightened look on his older brother's face._

_"Coop, what's wrong?"_

_"Blaine…" Cooper tried to run faster, but no matter how fast he ran, he never seemed to be any closer to Blaine, "Blaine, don't move buddy, just stay where you are, I'm coming!"_

_Blaine cocked his head to the side at Cooper's warning, "Coop, you're silly, I'm not going anywhere. As long as you don't blink."_

_Cooper faltered, tripping slightly, where had he heard that before? "What? I don't underst-"_

_"If you blink, I might disappear." His mother's voice suddenly resounded in his head, "He's so small for his age Cooper, if you blink you might lose him."_

_"Blaine, look out! Blaine-" Cooper's heart stuttered in his chest as the dark shadows finally caught up to his little brother. Blaine finally looked behind him at the dark shadows and as he turned back around, Cooper saw his eyes filled with fear. He was terrified and he needed Cooper._

_"Cooper don't-!"_

_**No, no they can't take that away from me…**_

_He blinked. And just like that, Blaine was gone._

Cooper awoke with a start, his breath coming to him in deep gasps. His eyes were blown wide, staring unseeingly at the ceiling above him, trying to shake the terrifying image of his younger brother's frightened eyes boring into his just before he was swept away, gone forever in the blink of an eye.

* * *

"Uh…you don't look so good Mr. Anderson."

"Thanks Kurt, I'll remember that next time you have a bad morning." Cooper rolled his eyes as he hurried into the classroom. After starring in a few distinguished independent films and one blockbuster, Cooper had been asked by the New York Academy for Dramatic Arts to teach a summer seminar in acting for high school students looking to get their foot in the door to NYADA. Kurt was one of his students, and he was one of the best.

"I don't have bad mornings." Kurt sniffed indignantly as he sat down next to Rachel—another one of Cooper's brightest students (though he hated to admit it).

"Kurt, we all have bad mornings." Cooper said as he set his coffee down on his desk after taking another sip, "Now," he addressed the whole class, "Who _actually_ has their lines memorized from last night's assignment?" Rachel and Kurt's hands shot into the air, but the rest of the class exchanged guilty looks to which Cooper rolled his eyes.

"I'm telling you guys, you'll never make it in NYADA with this type of work ethic." he reprimanded the rest of the class, "I'll give you another week to work on it, because today I want to introduce a class project!" a few groans could be heard throughout the room but Cooper winked at Kurt and Rachel who looked very excited, "Now, most of you are from New York City and have lived here all your lives, right?" Most of the classes nodded, "I thought so. Growing up here you can take this place for granted, easily. I bet you forget about all the people living here, the rich communities and environments. Now, as actors we take on roles, characters, people who we aren't and we have to be convincing about it, we have to make people believe it. Now, what is the most important part of a character?"

"Gender!"

"Looks!"

"Background!"

"Uh—no, no and no." Cooper made a face, "The most important part of a character is everything. Because there is no _one _thing that makes a person, so why should there be one quintessential thing that makes a character? When we think about it, what is the only real difference between a person and a character? One is real and one isn't. Yet…as actors we have to bring our characters to life…which makes them real…which makes them no different than people. Right? Right. So for this assignment, I want you to go out into the great New York City and talk to someone, a stranger even, someone you'd never talk to. Have a little chat or a long one, I don't care. Create a character sketch of this person, a very detailed character sketch, I want no pebble left unturned, or whatever the saying is. I want to know about this person, I want them to be living, breathing, humans. I want to know where they went to school, what their family is like and what they like to do on Wednesday nights. Use your imagination and make them _real_. And Rachel, no character sketches of Barbara Streisand under a different name, I will know, trust me."

"But-!"

"Or Bernadette Peters." he turned to the class, "That goes for the rest of you! No famous people because you're lazy! I will _know._ Don't take the easy road on this people. I _want_ you to talk to someone, be inspired by a real person. Write about those people out there that make you uncomfortable, that you scoot away from on the subway. Believe it or not, those people have pasts, parents, siblings and secrets just like you! Don't be lazy people, I promise this assignment will be well worth it in the long run!"

* * *

It had been a few days since Sebastian and Simon's Laundromat conversation, and the younger kid had started to steer clear of the topic of Blaine. He'd even taken to helping Sebastian out more around the apartment, as though he understood the kind of pressure Sebastian took for being the oldest, for knowing what he did, whatever that was. When Neil announced that Blaine would be with him today, Simon asked Sebastian if he could go with him, since Sebastian's usual company was busy. Sebastian agreed albeit a bit reluctantly as he'd really rather spend the day alone if Blaine wasn't with him. The kid turned out to be helpful though, he was shorter than Sebastian by a lot and was a better pick-pocket, though Sebastian would never tell him that. They had just picked up the groceries and were climbing the stairs to their apartment when they heard shouting.

"Shit." Sebastian mumbled under his breath, dropping the groceries as he fumbled for his key. He slammed the key into the lock and turned, not able to get the door open fast enough. Forgetting the groceries and Simon, he rushed into the apartment, pushing the other boys roughly out of the way. He slammed into Neil's door, knowing it was locked before he even tried. The door stayed firmly shut and he banged on it again.

"Neil, I'm sorry!" he heard Blaine's voice through the door, muffled and desperate, "Please!" There was a loud crash from inside and Sebastian banged harder.

"Neil! Open the door!" he yelled, "Neil! Open the fucking door!"

"I give you everything, Blaine! Every fucking thing and you just throw it back in my face! You're a fucking ungrateful little slut, Blaine, you know that?!"

"Neil, I told him to stop! I did, I told him to stop!" Blaine pleaded and Sebastian's gut filled with dread. There was a loud crack and Sebastian winced as he heard Blaine cry out in pain, "Neil, please! Y-you're hurting me!"

"Well you fucking hurt me, Blaine!" Neil yelled, "You know sometimes I think I should just get rid of you! If you want to run away from me so fucking bad, then fine, go! Maybe I'll just sell you to some creep on Peony Street and then at least I'll get money out of it!"

"No!" Blaine cried, and Sebastian's heart lurched painfully in his chest. He knew from the sheer terror in Blaine's voice, the desperation, that he truly believed Neil would go through with it. That he would _sell_ him.

"No what?!" Neil bellowed and there was another loud smack.

"You can't sell me! Please, Neil, I'll do—I'll do anything, please, I'm so sorry! I wasn't trying to run away, I promise! You can't sell me!" Blaine's voice was rough and hoarse from what had probably been at least an hour of begging and pleading and crying. Sebastian knew all too well how both Blaine _and _Neil got during nights like these, fights like these. Neil made the nastiest threats, the ones that really cut Blaine deep, hit home. He knew what to say to make _Blaine_ feel like the guilty one, the worthless one, like the one who'd hurt Neil. And Blaine believed him. He believed the threats that Sebastian knew Neil would never carry out, he believed the hurt in Neil's voice when he yelled at him—and he always believed that if he had just been a little bit better, a little bit less, a little bit more, a little bit something else…then Neil wouldn't be hurt enough to want to hit him.

"I can do whatever the fuck I want with you, Blaine or have you forgotten how this works?!"

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, I'm sorry." Blaine whispered and Sebastian knew both of them were starting to lose their fire. There was quiet and Sebastian finally looked at the others crowded around the door. He motioned furiously for them to leave. They didn't need to hear this. Blaine would be humiliated enough without knowing they were all gathered around the fucking door, just listening to him beg and plead and cry. The other boys quickly scattered, and Sebastian heard Neil start to speak again, he wasn't yelling anymore.

"Now you've made me late for my appointment with Mark." he said. Mark was one of Neil's friends, they often broke into small shops around the city and stole what they could, "I'm going to be gone for a few hours, and when I get back, you better be right fucking here, you better not have moved a goddamn muscle—or you will be extremely sorry, Blaine. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

The door swung open and Neil stormed out, almost running over Sebastian. He pushed Sebastian roughly against the wall before turning around and slamming the door shut, blocking Sebastian's view of the room.

"Blaine's being punished." he said to Sebastian, "He stays where he is. Don't touch him, don't let him out. Got it?" Sebastian just nodded, he'd learned a long time ago that agreeing with Neil was always easier than fighting him. Neil didn't say another word as he storms past Sebastian, grabbing his jacket and keys before leaving the apartment, the front door slamming with an echo behind him. The apartment was silent as Sebastian leaned heavily against the wall, his heart beating rapidly as he tried to push his own demons away, the voices telling him not to open Neil's door, because he didn't want to see what he'd done this time.

There was suddenly a loud beeping noise and Sebastian saw Nick fly towards the kitchen, opening the oven door, releasing billows of gray smoke. He coughed as he pulled out a burnt pizza and Jeff pulled one of the crates from the table over to stand on so that he could fan off the heat by the smoke detector. Their faces were set, eyes hard as they tried to concentrate on the tasks at hand. Sebastian's eyes flickered over to Dexter and Simon. Dexter was staring down at the floor and Simon was sitting on the couch, shaken to the core. Sebastian realized that this is the first time Dexter and Simon have ever been at the apartment during one of the Neil's rages. They're scared. Sebastian was scared the first time it happened too. He's scared now.

He knew that Blaine will want time alone, so he takes the time to slowly approach Simon, who looks worse than Dexter. He slowly sits down on the couch next to him. He doesn't put his arm around him or whisper comforting words, because honestly, Sebastian doesn't know how to be that way with anyone but Blaine. He doesn't think he can. So he just sits with him, and waits quietly for him to stop shaking. He listens to the sounds of Nick and Jeff in the kitchen and Dexter who has gone to help them by now.

"Simon." Sebastian finally says. The younger boy doesn't answer, but Sebastian knows he is listening, "I just want you to know that Neil would never do something like this to you. You don't have to be scared, okay?"

"B-but…Blaine is supposed to be Neil's favorite. Why would Neil do something like that to him? Neil always treats Blaine like he's special…he's not supposed to…supposed to…" Simon's voice fades out, he doesn't know what to call it, how to describe what just happened. Sebastian is quiet for a long time and Simon figures that he doesn't know what to say and he can't blame him.

"Neil…" Sebastian starts, "Neil does a lot of things he isn't supposed to do. But…but he won't do them to you. Ok?" Simon is silent, considering Sebastian's words and Sebastian continues to sit with him, watching him to make sure he understands what he can, without asking more questions. He can't tell him everything, and he tries not to even tell him a little, because it's not right…and he doesn't think he even knows how to say it out loud, or even if he can.

"Um…Sebastian, should I go check on Blaine?" Sebastian looks behind his shoulder to see Nick standing there, a pack of ice in his hand and a glass of water. Sebastian glances at Simon before standing up.

"No, I've got it, thanks." he takes the ice and water from Nick and then turns back to Simon, "Why don't you watch TV? Take your mind off of all this." He switches the TV on as he passed by on his way to Neil's door. He pauses outside of the room, battling the side of him that wants to keep the door sealed tightly shut, to shield himself from what's kept behind it…from Blaine. There are times when he wishes that he could just forget about Blaine and leave, and he hates himself for it. And he can never tell Blaine, but it tortures him to live like this, with a boy he can never save, and a man he can never stand up to. His eyes start to burn as his thoughts swirl darker and darker in his head and he takes a step away from the door, leaning against the wall, his head tilted upwards, trying to pull himself together. He squeezes his eyes shut one more time before kicking off the wall slightly and opening the door.

Blaine is there, kneeling next to the bed, his wrists tied with a belt above him to the bedpost. His shirt is gone and there are angry red welts all over his back, sides and arms. He flinches when he hears the door open and Sebastian is quick to assure him that it isn't Neil.

"It's just me, Blaine." he says quietly. He closes the door behind him, the other boys don't need to see him like this. Blaine doesn't say anything, he's hunched over, his curls hiding his face.

"Blaine, can I put some ice on your back? It looks like hell." Sebastian has learned that after…after _this_ happens, its best if he asks Blaine first before he does anything. He gets scared easily otherwise. Blaine shakes his head, head still bowed, not looking at Sebastian.

"No, you're not even supposed to be in here." he says. It's quiet for a while and Sebastian just nods, even though Blaine isn't looking at him. He sets the water and ice on the bedside table before sitting down next to Blaine on the floor, his back leaning against the bed. He glances up at Blaine's wrists, bound incredibly tight to the metal bedpost. It looks like it really hurts. Sebastian reaches up to undo the belt but Blaine jerks away.

"Don't." he says, "I'm not supposed to move."

"I can just untie you until he gets back, he'll never know." Sebastian says, his voice soft, he's trying so hard to sound soothing. Blaine just shakes his head again and Sebastian flinches when he sees a tear fall into his lap.

"He'll know." Blaine says quietly, "I—I really messed up today, Sebastian." his voice is even softer now, filled with shame and disappointment in himself. It makes Sebastian's eyes burn, it makes his heart heavy and his hands shake. Blaine isn't supposed to feel like this. Sebastian doesn't know what happens, but he knows without a doubt that it wasn't Blaine's fault.

"What did you do?" he asks.

"Neil took me with-" there is a pause as his breath catches and Sebastian watches as several more tears fall from his eyes, "—with him to get something from his friend's apartment. I don't—I don't know his name. When Neil left to get his stuff, his friend put his h-hand on my waist and then he started t-touching me. H-he said Neil told him all…all about…what a…what a whore I was…and th-that he won't hurt me if I…If I fuck him. I told him no and to stop touching me, but he kept going. H-he was even stronger than Neil and he wouldn't let g-go of me. When Neil came back, the guy was trying to put his…to put his hand…" Blaine trailed off as more tears fell from his eyes. Sebastian scooted closer to Blaine, but didn't touch him.

"You don't have to say." he whispered. Blaine swallowed, trying to keep his tears under control, but his chest heaved and his body shook and all Sebastian wanted to do was make it stop.

"N-Neil stopped him, but he thought I w-wanted to…the other man told Neil I was trying to s-seduce him! B-but I didn't want…I wasn't-" Blaine's breath gave out and all he could do was cry and try to breathe.

"Blaine, it's not your fault, you know that right?"

"Yeah." Blaine sniffed as his tears finally started to slow, "When Neil gets back I'll—I'll tell him what really happened and he'll forgive me. He's just…he's just really upset. He thought I was trying to leave him. But I wasn't. He'll forgive me. Right, Sebastian?" Blaine looked at him for the first time since he'd walked in the room, There was a small scratch on his cheek, and dried blood was already congealing there. His eyes were filled with worry and shame and hurt and Sebastian's own eyes began to burn just looking at them.

"Of course he will, Blaine." he said quietly. Blaine seemed to slump forward in relief, the tension from his body leaving slightly as he hung his head again. Sebastian could feel his throat clenching at the sight. He couldn't watch this.

"I-I'm going to get dinner for the rest of the boys." he mumbled before scrambling up and darting out of the room, quickly closing the door behind him. He fell into a heap against the wall, his head buried between his knees as his body began to shake violently as he tried to suppress his sobs. His breath shuddered in and out of him and he felt like breathing would never be easy for him again. But this happened. Breathing was hard, living was hard, taking care of Blaine was hard—but it was worth it. It was worth it to keep trying. It had to be.

* * *

**(A/N: Thank you for reading!)**


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